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Well I am finally a member of THT! I want to first thank everyone for all the good information that I have read over the last year from your posts. I haven't said much on the forum but I read it almost daily. It has really helped with my project. I want to thank Bobby (warthog) for all of the good ideas and info on the phone and forum.
Now to bring you up to date, I bought this hull one year ago down in Florida from a guy who lost interest in the project. He did some work at Merrit Boats and had the fiberglass guys redo the stringers and floor. They used kledgcell on the floor and foam core stringers. Then it sat in his back yard for a while and he decided to put it on ebay and I bought it. I then put it in my shop and did nothing but research (mostly on THT) for six or eight months. I should add that I know very little about boats, but I think that I do have a little common sense. I then purchased an Armstrong bracket which if you read one of my first post was the wrong transom angle (14 degree off of a Regulator, needed to be 10.5 degree). We cut the bracket and rewelded and now have the right angle. I purchased a leaning post off a new triton with a livewell and a t-top with outriggers and spray curtains from a THT member in the classifieds off of a 27' Contender. Two weeks ago I glued up the top cap and am getting ready to glass it. I am posting pics of the hull, bracket before and after refit, and top cap. The one close up shot of the top cap cross section shows you the laminates of the plywood. There is two layers of quarter inch epoxied together to make a total of ten laminates. This stuff is strong! I was planning on using half inch kledgcell. I went to Lowes to get luan for templates and they had this luan with five laminates and no voids in the laminates (and exterior glue). Regular luan underlayment has three laminates, one thick middle (with voids sometimes), and two thin laminates on each side. I decided to use it for the cap and am glad that I did. I started off with on full sheet across the transom on the first layer and then one full one on each side from the transom on the second layer. This left me with the joints four feet from the corners of the transom and all over lapping each other four feet. Next I plan on making the knee braces for the cap and glassing it all together. I plan on glassing the cap to the hull and fairing it all out (alot of fairing to do).
Hopefully the pics will post since it is my first time! The two kids in the pictures are my fishing partners. The man is not me it is a guide we went with this spring in St. Augustine.
Thanks for all the knowledge and any suggestions will be appreciated!
Hope you all have fun fishing this year! Maybe I can be on the water next year!
RE: "Reel Memories" Project Boat ('70 Formula 233)
Wow - looking good, Ryan. You are going to love that boat in the water.
Bobby is the guy to talk to about doing things right. You will have a fine maching if it comes out 1/2 as nice as X-Shark
One thing to check is your deck height to be sure it is self draining. Formula raised the deck height in '72 or '73. Not sure where the previous guy put it, but if that is important to you (mainly if you leave it in the water), it will be easier to deal with now. Let me know if you want me to pull any measurements. I think you can see the outside hull chines just rise above the deck a couple feet from the bow on the lower decks.
Having the v'd bracket will be nice - plenty of float. How do you plan to power it? Your water line looks like it should be pretty accurate assuming you don't hang monsters back there.
Are you planning on trim tabs? I'd recommend them. You can get a lot of ride tuning w/ the engine trim, but it is nice to be able to just stick the bow down when it gets sloppy.
We were out on Wed (slick day from work) - wind picked up to @ 18 in the pm w/ @ 2' chop (classic Buzzards Bay). My 3 yr old was inside the console fast asleep, and my wife and 6 yr old were sitting comfortably in the seat in front of the console - smooth and dry the whole ride home going into it. The more I run it, the more I enjoy this hull.
Great looking t-top and leaning post you picked up as well. That boat is going to be set up. Have fun.
RE: "Reel Memories" Project Boat ('70 Formula 233)
Ryan, great job on the restore of a great old hull. I did a 1970 over a 2 year period back in 1999. Was this a CC originally or was it a cuddy cabin modle with the top cap removed?
Re: "Reel Memories" Project Boat ('70 Formula 233)
Thanks for the replies! To answer your question "kitebuz", I do plan on putting tabs on it and powering with 150's or 175's (probably Suzuki's). To answer Hawkeye, the hull was a cuddy cabin model originally. That is one of the reasons I had to make a cap. I hope I can have mine done in two years!
Re: "Reel Memories" Project Boat ('70 Formula 233)
Good call on the engines - The Suzy 150/175's are a good weight to power for 4S on this hull. You seem to be on track for splashing in two years - good luck.
RE: "Reel Memories" Project Boat ('70 Formula 233)
Well after a year of not much progress I decided to take my project to Conneticut and get it finished. The guy doing the work is located at the Ocean Performance marina. I took the wife and kids with my last weekend and dropped it off. I can't hardly wait. It is finally going to get finished! Here are a few pics from the trip last weekend and my new (to me) motors.
Ryan
Re: "Reel Memories" Project Boat ('70 Formula 233)
I thought I would update everyone on my project. I am really getting excited now that things are moving. We will be ready for primer by the end of the week and then paint! I am still waiting on the console from Contender. It is taking longer than expected. I wish I new someone that worked there to try to speed things up a little. Here are some of the most recent pics. I plan to splash it in the Keys this winter.
"Reel Memories" Project Boat ('70 Formula 233) 
The kid pix's are Great. 
